LETTERS

Dear Joshua Longobardy,

I don't know if you are new to this town, or use to write for Better Homes and Gardens. Frankly, I don't care. But when you write a piece on something as crucial as the way law enforcement holds its inquest [Chronicle of a Verdict Foretold, May 25] at least get most of the facts, not just half. First of all, [Vernett] Harris is a two-bit punk, and always will be. He knew exactly what his so-called brother was going to do that day, he knew it at the door, he knew it running for his life down those stairs. The call was narcotics-related, not domestic of any type. That makes Harris a complete liar. Of course he is a dope-smoker; they tend to lie to the police more than not. Misdemeanor? You say Hawkins had well over 28 grams and scales and packing material—sorry sir, that's a felony in this state. He fired 56 rounds at police that day and not one cop or citizen got a scratch—that, my friend, is damm good police work.

Writer Joshua Longobardy responds:

The story doesn't dispute that it was a narcotics call, but reports that Harris' testimony was that he was told by police it was a domestic call. The story asserts that in an adversarial case this would be questioned, even if it bore no fruit. When the responding officers that day deemed it a narcotics case they did not know how much marijuana was in the apartment. They couldn't have. All they knew was that a lady reported the smell of marijuana smoke, and that they too could smell marijuana smoke when they arrived. It is physically impossible to smell the amount of marijuana necessary for a felony. Therefore, all the cops had for sure was a misdemeanor case. To assume anything more would have been an act of prejudice, and we all know cops can't be culpable of that. Lastly, Hawkins did fire 56 shots that day—nothing in the story contradicts that. But not all of those rounds were shot from inside his apartment, where the shells would then lie. Many were shot from off his balcony.

Hi, I'm writing to say great job on the [coroner's inquest] story. I say that because all my friends have stories about how some cops just can't be trusted. It's good to show that absolute trust is not too good a thing. My feeling is, God bless police officers, but nobody is above the law. Thanks.

Those cops deserve a medal. People need to know if they are handcuffed and run from the cops, they will be shot. I don't care if they are 17 or not.

These people obviously did something wrong and they will do something again if they get away. It's time we stop kissing criminals' butts and put our foot down.

Dear Josh Bell,

I found your review of X-Men [May 25] to be excellent. Very objective and clear.

I am a fan of the first two, but I was hesitant to watch the third one. I have read too many reviews that bordered on artsy-boy arrogance or fan-boy geekiness.Yours is the first one to be honest without being extreme on either end.

If you have a link for other reviews, please send me one. Thank you.

"... Sen. Reid is a a true embarrassment to Nevada [and] the USA. He is a magpie for the Democrats and has painted his own portrait as a foolish and senile old man who has allowed himself to be used by jealous has-beens such as Ed Kennedy, John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. What the world must think of us to have sent such commonplace fools like Mr. Reid to govern and lead our powerful nation and patriotic nation ..."